FEB 3301

JAN 3301

JUN 3301

The Imperial Citizen has published its second editorial on Commander Salomé, who the Citizen alleges is Lady Kahina Tijani Loren, the missing Imperial senator.

"According to Lady Kahina's account, she escaped a hardened gang of freedom fighters and faced down a notorious pirate lord. Is it not more likely that she colluded with these terrorists to murder her family so she could become a senator? Is it not convenient that she slaughtered these terrorists before they could be questioned, and then did the same to her mentor? And with a sword, too."

"Don't forget that Kahina almost triggered a war between the Empire and the Federation. Thousands died in that battle – a battle she started. Heroine of the Prism system? Hardly. She was responsible for the largest loss of life that Imperial outpost ever saw, exceeding even her father's appalling legacy."

"Not content with acquiring her father's senatorial position via her so-called 'reclamation', Lady Kahina then gallivanted around the core worlds trying to gain support in a bid to become Emperor. She soon found, however, that her self-image was out of step with reality. But did she return to her supposedly beloved homeworld? Of course not. She disappeared for several months only to reappear, as if she were the patron saint of explorers, on the far side of the galaxy in the Distant Worlds Expedition."

"Along the way she engendered the support of misfits, miscreants, starry-eyed explorers and dissident organisations masquerading as legitimate factions. Why she seeks such support is not known."

"Have no doubt – this so-called 'lady' is no saint. Whatever she does is solely to further her own interests, manipulating those around her as she has always done. She is clearly deluded, but her powers of persuasion are formidable. Many have sworn loyalty to her, particularly those disaffected by the politics of the core worlds."

"Beautiful and charismatic she may be, but she is also a bloodthirsty, selfish and manipulative individual who will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. Do not trust a word she says."

"Before the development of faster-than-light travel, colonising distant star systems was a profoundly difficult proposition. For the people of the 21st Century, the answer was the generation ship. These vast interstellar arks, equipped with everything needed to sustain human life, were crewed by multiple successive generations – pioneers who were born, lived and died aboard a starship."

"The first generation ship was launched in 2097, and in the centuries that followed, many more set off into the vastness of space. Most of these ambitious expeditions were funded by large corporations, and the penalties for interfering with them were severe, given the enormous cost of mobilising them."

"At the time of writing, there are believed to be somewhere in the region of 70,000 generation ships coursing through the galaxy. The approximate location of most of these ships has been calculated, but not all are accounted for. Many of the corporations that funded the original generation ships have now been dissolved or assimilated by other organisations, so it is difficult to determine exactly who is responsible for some of these vessels."

"It has been theorised that some of the original generation ships may soon reach their destinations, but since not all of those destinations are known, it is entirely possible that they could have been colonised while the generation ships were in transit. We can only hope the powers-that-be have a contingency strategy for such a scenario."

This report presents the latest data on conflict among the galaxy's minor factions.

Here are the latest factions to experience a civil war:

United 11 Cephei Regulatory State

Boloine Blue Federal Int

Kikua Empire Party

LTT 8260 Solutions

HIP 12716 Boys

Mislika Movement

Denebola Blue Adv Commodities

Party of Denebola

Calor Party

Raiders of Calor

Civil wars occur when minor factions compete for control of major assets such as starports. When a faction is involved in a civil war, the standard of living, development level and security level in the system it controls are temporarily reduced. Combat activities can bring a civil war to an end.

Here are the latest factions to experience war:

Byel Tan Jet United Corp.

Canary Mining Corporation

Bipek Labour

Kolaga Republic Party

Nagybold Major Holdings

The Black Fleet

Natural Namamasairu Flag

Traditional Parenni Autocracy

Granthaimi Gold Mob

LTT 9164 Democrats

Wars occur when a minor faction invades a star system controlled by another minor faction. For the duration of the war, the standard of living, wealth level and security level in the disputed system are reduced. Combat activity between the two warring factions determines the outcome of the conflict. If neither faction succeeds in dominating the other, the war ends in a ceasefire.